United Kingdom. Bayonets: An Illustrated History

Hardcover, with a laminated paper finish bearing photographs, with dust jacket, entitled "Bayonets: An Illustrated History", by Martin J. Brayley, the text and illustrations copyrighted by the author in 2004, this edition published by Chartwell Books, Inc. of New York in 2012, printed in China, ISBN 978-0-7859-2930-0. As stated on the back cover: " "Bayonets: An Illustrated History" is a unique biography, charting the development and evolution of the bayonet from 1650 through to the present day. Illustrated throughout with detailed color photographs of more than 300 bayonets from around the world, there are also archive photographs of troops with the weapons. This fascinating insight into world military history is packed with details that will captivate collectors and armchair historians alike, including physical appearance, manufacturing date, service history and battlefield effectiveness." The bayonet was named after the French town of Bayonne, where it is thought to have been devised around 1650. It begins with an Acknowledgements, followed by a Table of Contents, a Foreword by Graham Priest, Author's Notes and an Introduction, the latter examining the way weapon development and technological advances during the period led to changes in its size, shape, manufacture and style of bayonet. Also provided is information on collecting and preservation, and nomenclature and designations. The list of countries covered include: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, East Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand (Siam), Turkey, United States of America, Uruguay, Yugoslavia. The book details: styles (plug, socket, sword, yataghan, knife, etc.); physical details (length, weight, attachment mechanisms); manufacturing details (who made it, where it was made, how many saw service, variants and modification); and service history (when it entered service, where it saw service, who used it, how it was used). It concludes with a two page Index and a photograph of a Royal Marine Commando clearing mud from the tread of his boots with his bayonet, while in Iraq during the Gulf War, the photograph also featured on the back cover. The book contains 256 pages, with detailed text and illustrated in full colour, printed in four-colour inks, on a satin-finished white paper stock, measuring 310 mm (w) x 235 mm (h) x 25 mm (d). Near extremely fine.

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